Melting hearts on the ice

Last winter, a note appeared on a church noticeboard in Delmar asking for out-grown skates to donate to refugee children eager to try ice-skating.

This request found its way to the Albany Figure Skating Club, who passed it on to their members. And that might have been that, but club officials Paulette Morgan and Vincent Smentkowski (President) decided to take things a little further.

Ni-Lar and twins Christer-Htoo and Christer-Say are 11 year old refugees from Burma. They belong to the Karen tribe, and until coming to Albany they had lived in a refugee camp in Thailand after their families fled from the brutality of the Burmese military regime.

The girls are thrilled to have the chance to learn to skate. “I love it! I love it!” said Ni-Lar after her first lesson. Volunteers report that all three girls have been “skating” in their socks on the kitchen floor between lessons.

Albany Figure Skating Club members, several of whom regularly volunteer with refugees in Albany, have donated skates, mittens and helmets for the girls, and have warmly welcomed them. “They are so cute and are wonderful in lessons,” said Albany Figure Skating Club Program Director Karla Schallehn, “They smile the entire time!”

Ni-Lar, Christer-Htoo and Christer-Say are excited about celebrating Christmas in America. The twins, who have lived here less than a year, can’t wait to see snow for the first time. The girls are the only ones in their families who speak English. Though their life isn’t easy, their fathers have been able to find employment in Albany, and the families are grateful to be living in freedom in the United States.

“It’s hard to say who benefits more from this arrangement,” said Schallehn. “Our instructors seem to be having as much fun working with these girls as they have learning to skate in our program.”